Climbing

Ever since I was little I loved to climb things.  Rocks, trees, mountains, even onto the roof of my house.  When I climb up high on a mountain and look out across the valley, I begin to see how small I am in comparison to the rest of the world.  Things that might seem like big problems when I’m in my office seem to be less important up there. 

“In prayer I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness.  I climb above timberline and look down at the speck that is myself.  I gaze at the stars and recall what role I or any of us play in a universe beyond comprehension.  Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God’s point of view.” -Philip Yancey

With how busy life can get its easy to loose sight of God’s point of view.  But we shouldn’t let it go that easy.  Take a moment today to pray for God’s point of view.  And if it helps, go climb something!

- Pastor Kristen

Big Toes Belong

This past Sabbath we talked about the value of belonging as seen in the New Testament's teaching on the body of Christ.  1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many.”  The church is called the “body of Christ” for the poignant point that we all belong.  There are many individuals, yet we are one.  Every part is important!

Last year I dropped a heavy, wooden food tray on my big toe.  It was summer and we were headed to Big Lake and we stopped off at a restaurant to eat.  I was wearing flip-flop sandals.  As I sat the tray on the table and took our family’s food off the tray, it slid off the table and like a would-be guillotine hit my toe with astounding torque!  My whole body radiated pain in that moment while leg pain continued throughout the day.  The effects of the injury lasted for months until finally a new toenail grew and replaced the purple one that I thought might just become permanent! 

Why am I talking about my big toe?  That’s weird.  Well, maybe some of us feel more like a purple, big toe than a pumped-up bicep in the body of Christ.  I know I often have!  Though we sometimes feel weird and awkward in comparison with some of the more attractive parts of the body of Christ, God wants us to know we are all vitally important.  As a matter of fact, listen to these three different statements found in 1 Corinthians 12:20-26:  1.  Those members that seem to be weaker are necessary.  2.  Those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor.  3.  God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it. 

The passage concludes by saying, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”  My whole body suffered for a long time when I hurt my big toe.  I’m happy to report it feels great and looks as good as it can now!  I’m happy to also report I won’t be talking further about my big toe.  I’m ecstatic to be a part of a wonderful church family that values belonging, believing that every single person is vitally important.  Let’s lift up those who feel like the least, so they can realize our mighty Savior thinks they’re the best!  Though we all suffer some now, soon we will all be rejoicing together, experiencing belonging like never before in God’s glorious eternal kingdom!

 - Pastor Michael Brackett

Worth Living

The famous philosopher Socrates once said, "An unexamined life is not worth living."  This line was recorded in Plato's Apology but most would agree there is no apology needed for anyone wanting to evaluate their life in hopes of improving it.   The Meadow Glade SDA Church family has recently convened with a Strategic Planning Committee with hopes to examine our ministry by humbling ourselves before God and asking for His Spirit's leading.  17 unique and beloved individuals (nominated by your pastors) answered the call to meet for four months at the beginning of this calendar year.  We are happy to report that God blessed throughout the course of those meetings! 

The Committee emerged with the following new vision statement:  "Growing Together to Love Like Jesus."   This statement speaks to our four identifiable core values of "Belonging, Learning, Sharing and Serving."  We hope to keep this in front of us – vocalizing and exploring it together often.  Over the next couple of months, we’d like to unpack this with our sermon series.  We’ll spend two Sabbath on each core value.  Next week I’ll be preaching on our core value of “Belonging” and we will conclude the series just before Thanksgiving.

I’m so grateful for our Strategic Planning Committee team.  We are so grateful for our beloved church.  We are so grateful for our incredible God Who continues to lead us onward to His coming kingdom.  1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.”  Though we are a people with a diversity of gifts we serve the same God.  He is moving us collectively to an ever-improved life as we allow Him to examine us always.   I like Socrates statement, but I think it would be even better if he added God into the equation.  An examined life with God's leading is always worth living.

-Pastor Michael

Washing Machines

One of the things I’ve learned about parenting is to accept that I will always have dirty clothes. Whether it’s from drool, puke, or dirty lunch hands, my clothes always seem to bear traces of my children. Ah, the joys of parenting. Because of these “gifts” my children leave behind, I end up throwing my dirty clothes into the washing machine multiple times a week.  Washing machines are wonderful, aren’t they? They happily accept our dirty clothes, using water and soap to move between the fibers, cleansing them of dirt and stains.

The Apostle Paul links the idea of washing clothes with the reading of scripture. In Ephesians 5:26, Paul says that Christ cleansed the church “…by the washing with water through the word…” Just as our clothes get dirty and stained, so does our mind. While our minds are filled with good and beautiful things, they are also burdened with pain, hurt, and evil. Paul teaches that one way our minds can be washed and cleansed is through reading scripture. In the same way that a washing machine cleans clothes, God’s word washes and renews our minds.

So, here’s an invitation for all of us: this week, let’s spend time reading scripture. Let’s fill our minds with it, think about it, and pray through it. And as we do, may we experience a cleansing, a renewal of our minds.

 -Pastor Evan Davies

When The Finish Line Isn’t Visible, Don’t Quit

Life is difficult at times. But as we look back at the challenges, amazingly we got through each one. At the age of five I remember tying shoes was hard. But once I got the hang of it, no problem. And I learned tying shoes led to running, which was faster than walking or being idle.

Fast forward to 1990. With shoes tied, I gathered with thousands of others in Honolulu to run my first marathon. Even with all my training, I wasn’t prepared for the “wall,” runners talk about. It hit about mile 20, and from then on, I learned to appreciate the importance of pressing on, one step at a time. It seemed like each mile was longer than the last as exhaustion was setting in. Inching along Diamond Head before the final descent to the finish line I witnessed something that will stick with me forever. Ahead were two men running together, and they were joyful as they chatted back and forth. And what were they holding between them? Upon a closer look I understood. Each had a hand on a large rubber ring that kept them together, like a lifeline. One was blind, and his sighted friend was guiding him through the course. Were they tired? Probably. Yet, like me, they pressed on, because the prize ahead is always worth the pain behind.

Life with Jesus is a little like those two runners. As we hang on to Him He is there to guide us, strengthen us, and encourage us so that we may find joy in the journey even when life is difficult and we can’t see how much further until the prize. Remember, Jesus Christ will get us home, every step of the way. (See Philippians 3 and 4)

 - Pastor Jim

P.R.A.Y.

Have you ever started a prayer and then instantly been silent because you didn’t know what to say? Yeah, me too. It happens quite often for me. However, I’ve recently came across the P.R.A.Y. acronym which has helped my prayer life tremendously. I’d like to share it with you and lead you through it. It stands for Pause, Rejoice, Ask, and Yield. As we enter into a time of prayer with God, let us walk through these steps together.

Pause: Wherever you are, pause, stop, and be still. If your body has come to a stop, but your mind is still running, take a few breaths, and listen to the sounds around you. Take a minute to center yourself in the presence of God.

Rejoice: After stilling your body and thoughts, take time to rejoice in what God has done in your life recently. Maybe this was something big that God did this past week, or maybe it was something small that happened this morning. Whether big or small, take time to express your gratitude to Christ.

Ask: After a time of rejoicing, bring your request to God. Tell him about your needs, and the needs of others in your life. Ask God to intervene in your life and the lives of others in a real way.

Yield: As our time of prayer is coming to a close, take some time to yield your life to Christ. Commit this day, your life, your words, your thoughts, your actions to His way, to His mission, to His kingdom.

Amen.

 - Pastor Evan Davies

Devotion to God and a Spirit of Sacrifice

Having the right motivations makes all the difference in how we feel about giving to God. God wants our hearts in it with him. If our giving is all about him needing our stuff, then that would make him look bad, and it would make us feel resentful. God tells us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”—Acts10:35. God wants us to experience more and more blessings as we continue giving to him. Since God owns everything, he doesn’t need our material gifts, Giving to God is about us. Where are our hearts in relationship to him?

When God has done so much for us: He sustains our every breath, he saves us from sin’s death, he gives us blessings every day. Why wouldn’t we be devoted to him, in love with him, and wanting to give him our time, talents, and means for his cause? The Apostle Paul says, “The love of Christ constrains us.”—2 Corinthians 5:14. Love always causes us to want to be generous towards God or others. So, if we love God so much, then our giving won’t seem like such a sacrifice.

There are two requirements for giving to God. 1) Our appreciative love for God – DEVOTION, and 2) a SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE. We may be wanting to give generously to God, but we may still feel a little expectation that our giving be used in only the way we would like to see it used. There is still a little bit of us in the gift, holding back something that we say is for God, but it’s not really for him completely, unless he uses it the way we expect. And if it isn’t used in the way we expect, then we’re going to take it back, or we’re going to stop giving to his projects anymore. A Spirit of Sacrifice is the second motivation for giving. It enables our love gifts to God to be given without strings attached. It also includes having a Spirit of Sacrifice, in which decisions for God’s project are mutually shared and agreed upon in unity, even though in our opinion some of the decisions may not be what we would have wanted. A Spirit of Sacrifice isn’t so much about how much we give, but it is about how we give. No-strings-attached-giving is truly the most unselfish and sacrificial kind of giving there is.

This is how God gave to us. He didn’t come and sacrifice himself for us on condition that we would love him back. He gave his life for us regardless of anyone ever responding to his generous gift. He gave himself anyway. I am so thankful that God loves us unconditionally. I pray that you and I will be able to respond to his invitation to give back to him generously (DEVOTION) and unselfishly (with a SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE). And we will receive that highest blessing of participating with him in the work of saving others for his kingdom.

 -Pastor Ben Moor